Tang Dynasty can be said to be the most prosperous dynasty in Chinese history. It has made great progress in both comprehensive national strength and cultural economy, and has even become famous overseas, allowing envoys from all over the country to come and make friends.
When it comes to the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, we have to mention its capital Chang'an, a super metropolis full of inclusiveness and style of the Tang Dynasty, allowing everyone in it to feel the charm of Tang .
But what is curious is that the prosperity of Chang'an City is not a manifestation of the highly developed commerce in the Tang Dynasty. What is going on?
Chang'an The manifestation of prosperity
The reason why Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty was called the most prosperous capital in ancient China is mainly manifested in the following three aspects.
First of all, from the perspective of the architecture of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty. Chang'an covers an area of ββnearly 100 square kilometers, which is about 2.5 times that of Chang'an City in the Han Dynasty and 1.5 times that of Beijing City in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Therefore, in terms of area, Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty is far ahead.
Without strong economic support, such a large Chang'an City would not be built and maintained at all.
, and Chang'an City adopts a symmetrical design structure, with an overall framework very neat and clean. The outer city has three city gates and twelve city gates inside, which are connected to the major transportation routes in the city.
The city Zhuque Street divides the entire Chang'an City into two parts, with a commercial street in each part, leading the entire economic level of Chang'an City. The residential areas of Chang'an City are closely connected with these commercial streets.
Looking down from above, the structure of Chang'an City is like a huge Go board. Such a planned and patterned design must be linked to the advanced cultural ideas and architectural design concepts at that time. This is naturally related to the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. Only driven by a stable and prosperous life can the rulers carry out planned buildings.
Secondly, we need to talk about the number of people living in Chang'an City. At that time, due to the development of the Tang Dynasty, a large number of foreign friends also flocked to Chang'an City. Therefore, if we traveled to the streets of Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty, we could see both the people and officials of the Tang Dynasty, as well as the envoys and friends of various countries.
They will learn the culture and etiquette of the Tang Dynasty in Chang'an City. It can be said that Chang'an City at this time was like a hodgepodge, with a collision of various cultures and living habits. At the peak of Chang'an City, the population inhabited as much as 1.8 million, which indirectly reflects the prosperity and colorfulness of Chang'an.
At the same time, night markets were also implemented in Chang'an City, which was very rare in ancient times, because in ancient times, curfew policies were basically implemented for the sake of national security, and all commercial activities were prohibited, but the Tang Dynasty did not.
Although the Tang Dynasty also had a curfew system, this did not affect the people of the Tang Dynasty's colorful nightlife. At night, people who do not want to go home would gather in various workshops, eat, drink, have fun, drink and talk. As long as they do not disturb the people, the court will not meddle in other people's business.
Finally, the prosperity of Tang poetry indirectly reflects the prosperity of Chang'an.
In the Tang Dynasty, sexual freedom was not only for the most basic food, clothing, housing and transportation, but also for ideological pursuits. At that time, because society was open and culturally free, the society was more tolerant.
There was a Pingkangfang in Chang'an City at that time. Although it was a red light district, the women in Ping'an House were proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, which also attracted a large number of literati and poets to become frequent visitors to Pingkangfang. Literary scholars recited poems and wrote pairs, and output a large number of famous Tang poems.
If Chang'an City is not prosperous, how could Mengjiao make the famous saying "The spring breeze is so proud that the horse's hooves are fast, and you can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day" after you pass the imperial examination?
Reasons for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty was definitely one of the best in ancient history, but its prosperity was not only related to its own development, but also closely related to the foundation laid by the previous dynasty.
First of all, Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian not only realized the unification of China again in history, but also ruled the country with diligence and thrift during his reign, and accumulated a lot of financial resources for the Sui dynasty. Although Yang Guang was extremely stupid during his reign, he followed the footsteps of Emperor Wen of Sui and established his capitals in Chang'an and Luoyang successively.
These two places also became two capitals of the Tang Dynasty, laying the foundation for future development.
In addition, Yang Guang also built Grand Canal . Although the original intention of the construction was to enjoy the game, after the opening of Grand Canal , the north and south regions were well connected, which played a crucial role in the trade and economic development of the Tang Dynasty.
Secondly, it is the unity of currency.
During the Sui Dynasty, Wuzhu coins were used as the main currency for economic circulation in China, but in the Sui Dynasty, a large number of people casting Wuzhu coins privately, which caused the value of Wuzhu coins to show a cliff-jumping downward, and also caused the phenomenon of inflation in China.
When the Tang Dynasty arrived, Tang Gaozu Li Yuan directly issued an edict in terms of economy, abolishing the Wuzhu coins of the Sui Dynasty, and began to issue Kaiyuan Tongbao currency. In the early Tang Dynasty, these money effectively brought the Tang Dynasty's trade behavior to a higher level and also opened a prosperous stage.
The real situation of commercial development
The foundation laid by the Sui Dynasty and the unification of the Tang Dynasty currency laid a solid foundation for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, but many people pointed it out directly and said bluntly that although Chang'an City is prosperous, it is not a manifestation of the development of the Tang Dynasty's business.
This is mainly because when the Tang Dynasty reached its mid-term development, a large number of counterfeit coins also occurred, which caused Kaiyuan Tongbao to depreciate in large quantities, which could not make it a reliable transaction guarantee, nor was it enough to support the commercial development of the Tang Dynasty.
At the same time, from the perspective of the prosperity of Chang'an City, it mainly focuses on three aspects: Chang'an's architecture, the population and life of the people, and the development of Tang poetry, which are closely related to the foundation laid by Emperor Yang of Sui and the initial unification of currency.
In other words, the prosperity of Chang'an City is mainly due to the fact that it has laid a solid foundation and has little to do with the subsequent commercial development of the Tang Dynasty.
Moreover, in terms of business, the Tang Dynasty also mostly adopted the form of small peasant economy. Although it was improved compared with , Southern and Northern Dynasties and Sui Dynasty, it did not form strict rules and regulations to promote the development of business.
Moreover, the Tang Dynasty did not form a complete commercial tax system, so the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty was based on the situation of national development, not the essential commercial rise.
plus there are too many people living in Chang'an City. Although it is prosperous and clean on the surface, the garbage and pollution caused in it are also serious, which to a certain extent also affected the development of Chang'an City. If the rulers at that time could innovate in various commercial systems, the development of the Tang Dynasty would inevitably be more prosperous.
References: "New Book of Tang" "Tongdian"
